


Deleted Scenes

by morganskye



Series: The Ties That Bind [3]
Category: Ghostbusters (Comics)
Genre: Deleted Scenes, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 04:17:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16032806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganskye/pseuds/morganskye
Summary: This is a series of deleted scenes that either didn’t work with the story flow, bogged things down, or otherwise just felt like the wrong puzzle piece. These cover both Another Day and Heart. They’ll be in series order so be careful not to read too far ahead so you don’t spoil yourself. Enjoy!





	1. Another Day at the Office

**AN:** This was going to be the end of ch3, but I thought the car scene fit better for a more cinematic finish.

       When Walter got home he was still angry. Without thinking he went to the bottle of scotch he kept for surprise guests and emergencies. The amber liquid seemed to glitter in the light as he poured himself far more than was needed. Glass in hand he paced around his living room, grumbling to himself as he drank. Walter wasn’t sure if he was angry at Janine for letting herself get completely wrapped up in a guy who didn’t treat her right, or at himself for loving a woman who was so stupid. Signing heavily he sank down onto the sofa, hating himself.

       “She’s not dumb,” he said to himself. “I am.”

 

 **AN:** I had the beginning scene of ch4 much much longer, but I got tired of writing it, so I was pretty sure people would get tired of reading it. However I regretted deleting this part because it’s so Egon. It would have preceded Peter finding Egon spying on Janine timeline wise by 37 hours and 18 minutes (as mentioned in the story lol).

       He knew what was going on, or at least he was 89.7% sure he knew. Then again Peter always said that emotions were his weak point. Should that factor into his calculations? Probably. There weren’t any books he could read about how to figure out if your love was cheating on you...well there WERE but they were all by horrible trash writers that had no scientific evidence to back up their findings. It was all observation and ‘gut feelings’. The only gut feeling Egon ever had was about equipment...no that wasn’t true. His gut told him that he loved Janine in a way he had never loved anyone else. It’s just that was easier to ignore. Then again, that little voice inside also said there was no way Janine would ever betray him, especially not for Peck. He had been her sole focus from the moment she saw him...except for Roger, (ugh) Louis, and a few unmemorable others. Egon was able to forgive those. Could he forgive Peck? No, there was nothing to forgive. Just because they were nice to each other all of a sudden and he sends her flowers and they went to the opera and then to dinner and he drove her home…

Egon threw the beaker he was holding across the room. It smashed in a very satisfying way and calmed his surge of frustration.  

“I need to make a chart.”

 

 **AN:** This was going to be the ending of Another Day. I was already thinking about WTHW at this point, so there’s some allusion to it, but I felt it was better to have the story get a clean ending, hence the ‘I’m ok you’re ok’ ending that I published.

       As he packed up his apartment Walter thought about the past few days and how quickly things were changing. Getting City Hall to agree to let him go was easier than he thought it would have been. Unknown to him the lie he had told Janine about other cities wanting their own branch was the truth, and San Diego happened to be the highest bidder for his services. It gave him a bit of pride to find out that he was seen as integral for the success of any new branch. Anything that gave him an ego boost was welcome, especially after...no, that wasn’t right. She told him that it could matter if he had said so. She would have gone to him if he just...He shook his head. As much as Venkman liked to badmouth him, he had a strong moral code. Janine loved Egon, and even though the man was a total putz, Egon loved Janine. Walter didn’t believe in heaven or hell, but he did think karma existed. He felt that he couldn’t be truly happy with her so long as Egon was around, so unless Spengler went and blew himself up Walter would have to be content with the ill-gotten moments he stole. It would have to be enough. He knew he would never forget her and didn’t bother to try and fool himself, but he wasn’t going to live his life pining for a lost love. California was waiting.


	2. What the Heart Wants

**AN:** These don’t go with any particular chapter. I pretty much wrote them when I was thinking through the story and figured I’d add them where they worked best buuuut nowhere worked so here they are.

       “I’m 19 Mom! I’m old enough to join the military so I’m old enough to be a Ghostbuster!” Audrey huffed as she paced around the dining room table. 

       This was the same argument Audrey had been using since she turned 18, however neither her mother nor father were falling for it. She was stuck since, as the owner of GBI, her mom had complete discretion when it came to who was on the team. Audrey had tried apply to a franchise in another city, and got as far as a phone interview with both Detroit and Miami, but as soon as she said her last name everything screeched to a halt.

       “Audrey, for the last time, you need to go to college first.”

       Janine took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, wishing for more coffee. This wasn’t how she wanted to start her morning. It had been a long night with a tough Class 6 that decided the Empire State Building would make a great vacation home. It took two teams to it bring down and a platoon of cops to keep onlookers away from the light show. While dealing with the local government was easier with Walter and PCOC, it was still a nightmare to handle the insurance, reports, who pays for what, and more. It didn’t help that she was tired of this fight. Both she and Walter knew that Audrey would be a Ghostbuster from the time she was five, but they had always insisted that she put school first. Education, and the chance to mature, was vital so that maybe she wouldn’t kill herself by reacting without thinking. 

       “But Mom! I know more about the business than anyone other than you and Dad. I can recite Tobins cover to cover. I know the classification system backwards and forwards, and I have the best scores in the simulator. College isn’t going to make me a better Buster.”

       “Actually, it could if you took the right classes.”

       “Morning EJ. If you’re getting coffee could you get me another cup?” Janine asked as he walked in, noting to herself that he looked like he hadn’t slept at all despite still being in his pj’s.

       “Sure Mom. Now Audrey...”

       “Don’t start with me EJ,” she growled. “And quit sucking up to Mom.”

       “If I was sucking up I’d get her a bagel too,” EJ said as he brought two cups of coffee from the kitchen. “Hear me out. No one is saying that you wouldn’t make an amazing Buster. I mean, seriously, your blood is practically mood slime. But think about what a degree could do for you. There’s Engineering, Biochemistry, computers…”

       “How would those help me?”

       “Well it’s pretty obvious…”

       “Obvious to YOU maybe. We can’t all be brains. I barely made it through high school. There’s no way I could do college. Not all of us can be Mr. Multiple Degrees without even trying.”

       While EJ tried to defend himself and the fourth major he was working on, Janine sighed and decided it was time to pull out her wild card.

       “You know, Peter, Egon, and Ray all met while getting their Parapsychology degree.”

       As soon as she mentioned Ray, Audrey visibly perked up, suddenly very interested in what her mom had to say.

       “Really?? I didn’t know that. Was it as Columbia? Think they’ll let me in mid-semester?”

       Audrey dashed off, presumably to look up info about Columbia and their application process. EJ and Janine shared a look of relief. 

       “How long were you sitting on that little gem?” EJ asked.

       “Too long apparently,” Janine said with a grin.

 

**AN:** I cut this one because it gave away too much of the ending, but at the same time if I removed anything the punch was gone. 

 

April 2012

       Audrey surveyed the kitchen in EJ’s apartment. Every inch of counter space was taken up with some gastro delight. 

       “Alright, let’s see. We’ve got soda, chips, subs, that weird cheese dip mom makes, cupcakes, and hummus.”

       “Hummus? What’s that?” Mina asked as she brought in a bag of groceries. 

       “It’s a Middle Eastern dish made with chickpeas. It’s super good.”

       “Yeah have fun with that weirdo,” Mina replied with an eye roll. “This is the last bag of food.”

       “Cool. BB and EJ are back with the game supplies.”

       Not two seconds later the front door opened. EJ and BB walked in, each holding several plastic bags. No one commented on how Audrey knew they were back because everyone had the same feeling. They might be the Peck Kids, but each of them carried the Melnitz Touch, which is why they were gathering that night. Every few months they would all get together to play cards and share their best psychic stories. No one really knew when the tradition began, but it was something they all looked forward to, particularly now that EJ had his own place. 

       “We got lucky. The had exactly four bags of Hershey’s miniatures left at the store,” EJ said while plopping his bags on the dining room table. BB did the same.

       “Can we eat now?” he asked with a bit of a whine to his voice. 

       EJ snorted and shooed BB into the kitchen to fix a plate while he broke open the fresh deck of cards. With a skilled hand he shuffled the cards while his siblings grabbed food. He always went last because he ate the most. If everyone else got food first he wouldn’t feel guilty about stuffing himself silly. 

       “OK EJ it’s all yours,” Audrey said as she, BB, and Mina filed out of the kitchen. 

       He passed her the deck so she could deal them out for poker. She was just finishing when he returned with a plate piled high with subs and chips. Once he was settled she raised her glass of Pepsi.

       “A toast. To the Ghostbusters, without whom we wouldn’t be here today.”

       “The Ghostbusters!” they all cheered. 

 

       “I’ll see your Crackle and raise you two Chocolate with almonds,” Mina said, tossing the candy out into the middle of the table. 

       “Ooof, too rich for my blood. I fold,” said EJ as he put down his cards. “So Audrey, it’s your turn.”

       “Hmm, ok...well I had a really lucky day two weeks ago.”

       “Lucky day?” BB asked while he met Mina’s bet. “Call.”

       “Well the train arrived right when I got to the station platform, the elevator was waiting and empty when I got to my school building, I found a great table at lunch…”

       “That’s great but that’s not really a Touch. Care to try again?” EJ asked.

       When Audrey avoided answering by going to the kitchen BB decided to tell his story. 

       “Ok so...um...I think I had a moment a few days ago. I was out with Frank and Greg, my friends from school? And um, they wanted to go to the park. The one a few blocks over by the deli? Anyway...um, so when we got there the sky was all sunny ‘n stuff but I told the guys we should go home because it was going to rain. They didn’t believe me but finally I got them to go to the deli with me to get a soda. As soon as we got inside a shower popped up ‘n we would have been soaked but we weren’t because I made us go to the deli...um, and four kings.”

       Mina threw down her cards and huffed with all the over-emotion a 13 year old girl could have. BB eagerly pulled the candy to him, adding to his already large pile.

       “Are we sure he’s only 11?” Mina groused, pouting while her baby brother gloated. 

       “Don’t be a sore loser. Deal BB,” Audrey said now that she was back from the kitchen. “Mina, your turn. Any Touches lately?”

       “Meh, kinda? My electronic touch is still solid.”

       “Of all the gifts to have...” EJ snorted. “I’m not sure how knowing when a radio station is playing your favorite song or when a TV show is back from commercial break is all that great of a Touch. Besides it’s old news.”

       “Whatever jerkface. You’re just jealous because mine pops up all the time and yours is so slack and wack.”

       “Oh no EJ she’s bustin’ out the slang on you! Best show you don’t front!” laughed Audrey. 

       “Pass.”

       “Nope no passes.”

       “Look, we’ve been doing this for ages. It’s always the same thing. Predicting the weather, knowing that the phone is about to ring and who it is, going left instead of right...it’s all bullshit parlor tricks! I don’t want this stupid gift!” EJ yelled, pushing his candy and cards to the floor in a rare show of anger.  His siblings all looked at him with various expressions of worry and disapproval. EJ shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to swear…”

       “That’s not why we’re bothered bro,” Audrey said softly, reaching out to hold his hand. “You never get worked up like this unless it’s...” 

       EJ sighed and debated shutting himself off emotionally like his father would, but he couldn’t. Family was family, and turning off his feelings wouldn’t do any good. The stories his mother told him proved that time and again.

       “I...I had a vision.”

       Audrey traded anxious looks with BB and Mina. The three of them had little moments all the time, small tingles of ‘Spidey Sense’ like BB’s favorite superhero. Generally they either prevented a minor annoyance or made them look cool and mysterious. EJ’s Touch was very rare, very powerful, and always devastating. In 2001 he had a flash of the number 587 and Belle Harbor, but he had no way of knowing he was seeing a plane crash that would kill everyone on board as well as people on the ground. Two years later he woke up from a hellish dream where everything and everyone around him was on fire while rock music played. A week later he read about a nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed nearly 100 people. After a walking nightmare of living through a gas explosion and cave in of a mine he thought he was going insane. It was one thing to have the visions, but it was another to have them and not know what to do to help. There was never enough information to prevent the catastrophe so it was as if some outside force was torturing him. After the Chinese mine incident in 2005 EJ stopped talking about what he saw. They never knew what else he saw, until now.

       “You don’t have to tell us, but if you want to we’ll listen,” Mina said.

       BB got out of his chair and walked over to EJ, putting his head on his older brother’s shoulder. EJ closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. 

       “I know when I’ll meet my father for the first time…”

       “...but?”

       “But it’s going to be on the same day mom dies.”

       He felt BB stiffen beside him as Audrey and Mina went pale. His younger sister blindly groped for Audrey’s hand. When she found it they clung to each other like a lifeline. 

       “When?” she whispered.

       “Not for a very very long time. She was old...so small and frail, but old. She’s in bed and waiting for him. All that time she was waiting. I know she loves Dad but it’s heartbreaking.”

       He thought about the note he had found when he was cleaning out Egon’s lab. When he saw the spidery handwriting he knew it was his father’s, however after reading the first few lines he folded it up. It was clearly something personal and meant only for his mother’s eyes. When he gave it to her she cried, but she promised they were happy tears. Would she cry again when she saw him?

       “Should I tell her?”

       The question hung in the air like thick choking smoke. For a long time none of them answered as they gave it seriously thought. 

       “No,” Mina said simply. 

       “No,” agreed BB.

       “No,” Audrey said, adding, “We’ve both seen how she acts when the hope of Egon is dangled in front of her. Telling her this could make her go off the deep end again. Let her have her happiness with Dad. If she gets to see him one last time before she goes...then it’s going to have to be enough.”

       “You’re right,” he said sadly, “Just because I tell her doesn’t mean she’ll be able to find him sooner. But it just...it just seems cruel.”

       Audrey stood and put her hand his other shoulder.

       “Kinda yeah, but this isn’t a situation that has a right answer,” Mina said as she joined her family in supporting EJ. “I’m so sorry bro.”

       He felt his sisters and brother wrap their arms around him. Despite having a different father, they never treated him as anything other than one of them. EJ had always stuck out like sore thumb in family photos, but it never mattered. His dad treated him the same as his ‘true’ children, and his mom never allowed him to feel like an outcast. Unlike the man who he shared DNA with, EJ had been blessed with a loving and supportive family. He might look like a Spengler, but his heart was Peck. 

       “Thank you,” he whispered, and allowed himself to cry.


End file.
